WWALS Watershed Coalition advocates for conservation and stewardship of the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, and Suwannee River watersheds in south Georgia and north Florida through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities.

Apparently for the first time ever, all the Riverkeepers of Georgia will be speaking at the same event.
Flint Riverkeeper Gordon Rogers passed on the invitation from the
Georgia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (GA-AFS)
to speak at their annual conference.

Driving back from a long-scheduled conference in Alabama,
from the state line to Tifton was widespread damage from Hurricane Michael.
Nothing like the devastation on the Gulf coast, of course,
but very unusual for inland Georgia.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman will
show four years of Sabal Fail, and the Three Stooges plumbing in Dunellon.
WWALS member Cecile Scofield will
talk about LNG export all over Florida.
Flint Riverkeeper Gordon Rogers will explain
what the fossil fuel industry calls the Great Major Victory by Sierra Club, Flint Riverkeeper, and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, and what it means (so far as anyone knows).
WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman will lay out what you can do to help
stop Sabal Trail and reform FERC.
Plus videos.

“Once the court officially returns the matter to FERC, the
pipeline should cease operations while FERC undertakes the new
analysis,” wrote Elly Benson, lead
attorney for the case Sierra Club just won against Sabal Trail.

She summed up: ”Instead of sacrificing our communities and
environment to build unnecessary pipelines that “set up
surefire profits” for pipeline companies at the expense of
captive ratepayers, the focus should be on transitioning to clean
renewable energy and energy efficiency—especially in the
Sunshine State. Forcing federal agencies to grapple with the true
climate impacts of dirty fossil fuel projects is a big step in the
right direction.”

She leads off this fourth in a WWALS news roundup series
(1,
2,
3) about that case, followed by Gordon
Rogers, Flint Riverkeeper, another party to the case.

WWALS is not a party to that case and does not speak for the
parties, so I can be a cheerleader for them. Shut it down! Let the sun rise!

OilPrice.com calls it “a critical decision yesterday,
that could jeopardize the future for pipeline projects across the country”;
pipeline companies could be “spooked” and
“…the court ruling raises the unsettling
possibility that the project may be forced to shut down —
after billions were spent putting it in into service.”
Other stories say this ‘huge’ win could also affect
the Atlantic Sunrise, Penneast, Atlantic Coast, and Rover Pipelines,
among others.

(L to R) Lea Fox, 4, Finn Ryder Purdy, 4, and Mason Dana, 7, of Lake
Worth, sit with gas pipeline protesters outside of Florida Power and
Light headquarters on Universe Boulevard in Juno Beach on October
14, 2016. The Sabal Trail Pipeline began supplying FPL’s plants in
June. Groups opposed the pipeline that will start in Alabama and
bring fracked gas through several counties in Florida’s springs and
wetlands. (Richard Graulich / The Palm Beach Post)

Sad for FPL, Duke, Spectra, and all the other pipeline-building
purveyors of fracked methane, maybe, but glad for all the
landowners whose land was taken, local citizens who don’t want
a 500+-mile IED next to their homes, schools, and waterways,
and all people who want clean sun and wind energy, not more polluting fossil fuels.

It’s good the industry press agrees with what I told the VDT:
“This is wind in our sails and could be the end of Sabal Trail.”

Pipeline company chutzpah! Solar power would do this faster, cheaper, and cleaner:
“Granting Sabal Trail’s request by May 26 will allow Sabal Trail to
commence service promptly to FPL and will significantly increase the
available supply of natural gas to the Southeastern United States
during the heart of the peak summer cooling season.”
More likely Sabal Trail wants to be in-service by the end of May
to avoid forfeiting that $200 million bond required by FPL’s RFP.